Honors student and Stamps Eminence Scholar Allison Sachs remembers her first day at The Ohio State University as equal parts excitement and nerves. Coming from a high school graduating class of about 140, the scale of campus felt immense.
“I remember being very anxious but excited,” she says. “I had walked all of my classes the day before and still had my phone pulled out just in case I couldn’t find the buildings.”
The moment that steadied her was the very first class on her schedule, Korean.
“I was thrilled to put my language skills to good use in an environment with other eager students,” she recalls. “Finally studying Korean in an academic setting felt incredibly meaningful.”
Originally from Toledo, Sachs is a sophomore double major in Korean and International Studies with a specialization in International Relations and Diplomacy, and a minor in Spanish. Her path toward diplomacy didn’t start in college. It began years earlier, when she realized she wanted to devote her studies to cultural relations and conflict prevention.
“Ever since I was a sophomore in high school, I had my eyes set on diplomacy, cultural relations, and being a part of a movement to make the world a better place,” she explains.
That focus sharpened during her IB Diploma program, where she wrote an extended essay on the Soviet-American Joint Commission and its role in the permanent fissure between North and South Korea.
“That writing piece fueled my passion for both Korean linguistic and historical study,” she says. “It solidified my desire to study conflict prevention and diplomatic relations.”
Choosing Ohio State was as much about community as it was about academics.
“I was granted the incredible opportunity to be a part of the Stamps Eminence Scholarship Program,” Sachs says. “Through this opportunity, I have been able to make a big school feel smaller by becoming invested in an equally driven and passionate community.”
The program’s ethos aligned with her own: using education as a tool for service.
“My biggest goal is to utilize my education to not only enlighten myself but to help others whether that is through serving as a diplomat, human rights advocate, or something in between.”
That sense of purpose has been nurtured by mentors and staff who saw her potential and encouraged her to stretch it.
“The support and encouragement from Stamps Eminence staff members Rebecca Ward and Leah Schuh helped me believe in my own potential and narrow my professional track,” she says.
She also points to the East Asian Studies faculty, especially the Korean department—Professors Yonsoo Kang-Parker, Makayla Cherry, Kim Han, Hyun Jin Lee-Miller, Perry Miller, and Yeonjin Yun for their “enthusiasm, attention to detail, and evident care” for students.
And she credits Dr. Mitch Lerner, who teaches the Stamps Eminence seminar course, with guiding her toward undergraduate thesis work related to Korean affairs.
“He has encouraged me to take full advantage of everything the department offers.”
Sachs’s learning extends well beyond the classroom. As Community Outreach Director for EquiData Columbus, a Stamps Eminence service initiative, she helps maintain relationships with local nonprofits and businesses, building partnerships that strengthen organizations’ capacity to demonstrate impact.
“These joint efforts to provide long-term data solutions allow organizations to best demonstrate their impact when applying for grants,” she explains. “That ultimately secures resources to make a larger impact on the Columbus community.”
One of EquiData’s current partnerships is with The Garden for All, which connects her directly to efforts to deliver fresh food to area pantries, an on‑the‑ground reminder of how data‑driven work can meaningfully serve people.
On campus, she channels leadership and culture through Next Crew, a K-pop dance student organization where she serves as vice president, securing practice spaces, managing the calendar, and preparing for performances at events like Taste of OSU and at showcases organized by student organizations such as Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) and Taiwanese American Student Association (TASA). Dance, she says, has been a lifelong throughline.
“I’ve been dancing since I was two years old and I’m still obsessed,” she says. “Whenever I’m stressed, I freestyle to my favorite music. It’s calming and helps me feel more in control.”
Her love of language brings similar joy.
“I adore being able to express myself in different languages,” she says. “Korean and Spanish anchor my studies, but I’ve also learned a little Japanese and Chinese, I’m always eager to learn more.”
Work experiences have shaped Sachs’s understanding of connection and public life. As one of two graders for INTSTDS 2800: Introduction to Peace Studies, she built a close mentorship with Professor Benjamin McKean while helping classmates apply international relations theory to current events. She also completed a fall internship with the Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit Learning Life, supporting cross‑cultural exchange in an online community.
“As someone who cares deeply about finding common ground, it was an honor to help bring people closer by sharing not only cultural differences but also shared humanity,” she says.
At Ohio State, her most meaningful moments balance civic engagement with everyday connection. As a freshman, she represented the university at the Sherrod Brown Propel Leadership Conference, where a day of service and policy dialogue deepened her interest in domestic issues through a global lens. Closer to home, her weekday Korean language class has become a highlight, as have the friendships formed through weekly movie nights, late‑night philosophy during study sessions, and small rituals that make a large campus feel personal, even a failed attempt at sledding down a campus hill on a flattened cardboard box that, while unsuccessful, sealed lasting bonds.
Looking ahead, she hopes to complete an undergraduate thesis on North–South Korean policy and continue research in peace and conflict resolution. She’s already checked off a major milestone: she was recently named a Summer 2026 John Glenn Fellow and will spend a summer in Washington, D.C., interning through the Washington Academic Internship Program (WAIP).
Sachs intends to pursue graduate study in East Asian Affairs or International Relations, gain professional experience, and take the Foreign Service Exam.
“My dream is to be stationed in South Korea as a diplomat,” she says. “I want to use my passion for cultural exchange and language learning to build bridges across cultures.”
Amid the momentum, she still makes time for the moments that center her. At basketball games, she loves when the arena pauses to sing Carmen, Ohio.
“It feels like a beautiful way to honor our school spirit and commemorate all the hurdles and achievements of athletes, students, and alumni,” she says.
In that shared song are the same values that have guided her since day one: connection, reflection, and purpose. From that first Korean class to community partnerships, from dance studios to policy conferences, Allison Sachs has found her place at Ohio State and, just as importantly, the kind of purpose that translates across languages, borders, and lives.